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Staff Report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 21-year-old named Brandon Aaron Elijah Goodin was taken into custody early this morning, facing charges of attempted homicide following an alleged stabbing incident involving a man who was injured eight times.
According to the Gainesville Police Department, the incident unfolded around 2:22 a.m. on October 26. A dispute erupted between the victim, accompanied by two friends, and another group of men inside a downtown venue. As the establishment closed, both groups headed out in the same direction, continuing their argument until they reached the 200 block of South Main Street.
In that location, Goodin and his friends, who were not originally part of either group, encountered the escalating situation. Goodin allegedly began hurling insults at the victim’s group, prompting the victim to retort, frustrated that Goodin was intervening without understanding the context.
The confrontation quickly escalated into a brawl involving all three groups, with punches being thrown from all sides. During the melee, Goodin and two of his friends focused their aggression on the victim. While the victim was busy fending off Goodin’s companions, Goodin allegedly took the opportunity to approach from the victim’s right side and inflicted multiple stab wounds to his torso.
A Gainesville Police Department officer arrived right after the victim fell to the ground and saw Goodin walking away. He reported that the victim pointed toward Goodin and said, “He just stabbed me!” One of the victim’s friends also reportedly identified Goodin as the man who had stabbed the victim.
The officer reported that Goodin seemed like he was about to run, but he decided not to. The officer held Goodin at gunpoint until he got into a prone position and then waited for backup officers to arrive and secure him in handcuffs.
While the officer was waiting for backup officers to arrive, a bystander showed him video of Goodin tossing the knife on the ground to a woman who turned out to be Goodin’s sister. Officers later contacted Goodin’s sister and recovered the knife.
One of the victim’s friends said he never lost sight of Goodin from the time of the stabbing until the officers handcuffed him, and he said he had seen Goodin pulling the knife out of the victim’s chest.
Witness accounts indicated that the victim was not armed and did not present a threat to Goodin at the time of the stabbing.
Another witness said he did not participate in the fight, and he said he saw the victim fighting with two of Goodin’s friends when Goodin came up from the victim’s right side and stabbed the victim. This witness said the victim was not even looking toward Goodin when Goodin stabbed him.
The officer reported that Goodin’s sister was initially uncooperative, but she eventually produced the knife and said she had been worried about what would happen to her brother. She also reportedly said she never saw the victim with any weapons before Goodin stabbed him.
The officer reported that medical personnel said the victim was stabbed eight times, suffered a punctured lung, and lost a great deal of blood. At the time of the report, the victim was in stable condition.
Goodin has been charged with attempted homicide. He has two adult felony convictions (non-violent) and seven misdemeanor convictions (non-violent) in Clay County. A judge will decide tomorrow whether to set bail or hold him until trial.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.